Noord eetcafe Awards

Noord eetcafe Restaurant Review:

Chef-owner Joncarl Lachman, after working in Chicago for a decade, returned to his native Philadelphia to open a BYOB restaurant offering his contemporary take on traditional Northern European cuisine. The menu is surprisingly friendly to non-meat-eaters --- think imaginative starters such as smoked herring sliders on house-made potato rolls and tangy mustard soup with caviar, tarragon and rye croutons, topped by a seared diver scallop. Meanwhile, larger plates from the sea range from a hefty beer-battered whitefish sandwich on toast to seared Norwegian salmon in delicate "chowder" of baby potatoes and leeks, and sautéed pollack with blue crab, grilled corn and pickled peach. For carnivores, Lachman uses a lighter-than-expected touch on such hearty offerings as bitterballen (fried pork meatballs with mustard and nutmeg) and the rabbit leg confit with warm wax beans, grilled apricots and bacon. Dessert brings an array of homey treats, including a not-too-sweet almond cake, a rich brioche bread pudding and a parfait consisting of layers of caramel-flavored cookies, cardamom-tinged whipped cream and a changing selection of seasonal fruit.